I Don’t Know

I Don’t Know

“From the time when Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai died, the glory of wisdom ceased.”

– Talmud, Sotah 49a

“I do not know what ‘glory of wisdom’ means.” – Rashi

Why the need to tell us that he doesn’tknow what it means? Why not just say nothing?

I am reminded of a story my father told me about his time in university. He recalled that sometimes it would happen that a student would ask a question that the professor, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, did not know the answer to. Rabbi Riskin would say, “Idon‘tknow,” and then would proceed to write the question down in a small notebook, often returning the following day with an answer.

Perhaps a message is that in order to achieve the glory of wisdom, I must first be able to admit that Idon‘tknow.